Teachers get Sh3.5 billion salary boost

Teachers of public primary and secondary schools are to receive a pay rise of  up to Sh15,000 per month next month.

Teachers Service Commission (TSC) secretary Gabriel Lengoiboni Friday signed off the details of the new salary structure that become effective on July 1.

Provisions for the pay were contained in the Budget statement delivered to Parliament by Finance minister Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday. A total of Sh3.5 billion will be used to fund the increment.

The new salaries, to benefit the country’s 240,000 on TSC’s payroll, will be for the third and final phase of a pay agreement with the Kenya National Union of Teachers whose implementation began in 2009.

According to the  new pay, the highest paid teacher, a chief principal will receive a salary increase in the range of between Sh11,489 and Sh15,056. The teachers in this category are in job group R.

Teachers in this category also receive a commuter allowance of Sh4,410 and a hardship allowance of Sh11,037 for those working in places considered difficult to work in.

Besides, the chief principals in Nairobi earn a house allowance of Sh40,000 and medical pay of Sh4,412.

It means the teachers will now earn a cumulative salary of Sh169,092 in salaries and allowances per month based on the new pay.

The amount excludes responsibility allowance that could be as high as 7,500 for head teachers in schools of 10 streams.

House allowances range from Sh2,300 for the least paid teacher to Sh40,000.

The commuter allowance ranges from Sh767 for the most junior to Sh4,412 for the most senior teacher per month.

 According to the new salaries the lowest paid teacher, a P2, will earn an extra Sh713 and the highest paid get Sh15,056 a month.

The lowest paid teacher, on the P2 level or job group F, will now earn Sh13,750, up from Sh13,037 per month.

This represents a five per cent increment as opposed to a 15 per cent rise for the highest paid.

The highest paid teacher, a chief principal on job group R, will now earn a basic salary of Sh120,270 per month, up from Sh100,718 on the staff on the bottom end of the scale.

In July 2007, the salary of a chief principal was Sh44,990 meaning it has nearly trebled in three years.

Like the first and second phases, the new increments are higher for senior teachers.

Mr Lengoiboni said in the circular dated June 8 that the review completed the salary agreement signed on January 29, 2009.

“The circular covers the third and final phase of the award,” said Mr Lengoiboni who has now successfully implemented two increments in his tenure.

Mr Lengoiboni had also implemented the controversial 1997 pay deal, which was signed by the former President Moi’s regime but fully implemented by the Narc administration.

The 2009 pact was reached following an 11-day work stoppage by teachers to force a salary review.

In all, the increments are expected to add up to Sh17 billion paid out in three years at a percentage rate of 40-40-20.

In the first phase about to expire, teachers enjoyed salary increments of up to 67 per cent.

During that phase, the teachers received increases of between Sh1,426 for the lowest paid and Sh30,112 for the highest paid tutor.

In the latest circular, Mr Lengoiboni said the new salaries will apply to all teachers in the service on or after July this year, including those on leave pending retirement or final termination of appointment.

According to the circular, the salary of the lowest paid chief principal will go up from the current Sh59,768 to Sh82,746 per month from July.

The highest paid P2 teacher will have the salary increased from Sh13,795 per month to Sh14,157, the least amount of scales reviewed.

The salary of the least paid teacher in the next grade, P1, will rise from Sh14,310 per month to 15,093 per month.

The highest paid P1 teacher will have the salary going up from Sh17,108 to Sh17,527 per month.

A majority of teachers, about 170,000, are in the P1 category and mainly handle pupils in primary schools.

The circular shows the lowest paid diploma technical teacher and approved teacher IV will have their salaries raised from the current Sh16,260 to Sh17,208.

The highest paid teacher in that job group, H, will earn Sh20,289 up from Sh19,747.

Graduate untrained teachers in job group J will enjoy a rise of between Sh1,032 and Sh1,157. That will see their pay go up from Sh21,165 for the least paid teacher in that category to Sh22,322.

But the most senior teachers in that bracket will enjoy a raise from Sh24,863 to Sh25,895.

According to Mr Lengoiboni, graduate teachers in job group L will have their salaries revised by between Sh1,556 and Sh2,015 per month.

The least paid teachers in that group will have a raise from Sh28,457 to Sh30,472.

The highest paid teacher in that grade will move from Sh33,719 from Sh35,275 per month.

Senior graduate teachers will have the salaries go up from a low of between Sh33,150 and Sh40,904 to between Sh35,275 and Sh42,877.

According to the circular, senior principal graduate teachers will have their salaries increased from between Sh68,824 and Sh87,490 to between Sh77,527 and Sh98,947 per month.

However, all other allowances, which were not part of the salary negotiations, would not be affected. They include housing, medical, commuter and hardship allowances.

“However, any teacher employed, promoted or deployed to a hardship zone will be paid hardship allowances (as per current terms),” Mr Lengoiboni said.

The hardship allowances vary from Sh3,055 per month for a teacher in job group F to Sh11,037 for one in job group R.

Heads of schools with single streams will receive Sh750 per month, while those heading schools with 10 streams would take home Sh7,500.

Allowances for deputies range from Sh200 to Sh2,000.

The TSC circular is sent to the head of the Public Service, Mr Francis Muthaura, and permanent secretaries in the ministries of Education, Science and Technology, Finance, Labour and Public Service.

Also copied is Knut secretary general David Okuta and his Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers counterpart Njeru Kanyamba.